Political Unrest in Honduras

01 July 2009

Dear Valued Customer,

Political unrest in Honduras this week is causing disruption to Central American trade. APL's office in Honduras continues to operate with limited staff. We are developing contingency plans to keep containerized cargo moving. Here's an update on the situation

• Honduras’ main port, Puerto Cortes, remains open.
• Major highways in the port vicinity are blocked, curtailing truck transport.
• Cargo is being held at the port until highways are passable.
• El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua have closed their borders with Honduras.
• APL’s office is open for business with limited staffing.
• The APL vessel APL San Juan departed from the port today ahead of schedule.

Given the changing nature of events in Honduras, APL is developing contingency plans to keep cargo moving and minimize trade disruption. Here’s what we are preparing for if conditions continue to hamper the timely transportation of freight:

• Our next regularly scheduled vessel call in Honduras, July 4, may be diverted to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.
• Nicaraguan export cargo may be routed through Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to reach U.S. East and West Coast markets.
• At this time we have no connection for cargo from the U.S. West Coast to Nicaragua, but we can provide service for cargo to Nicaragua from U.S. East Coast ports on our weekly service via Puerto Limon.

Because of the rapidly developing situation in Honduras, we’ll provide updates as information becomes available. We’ll also notify customers immediately when cargo becomes available for pick-up.

In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact your APL representative.

Yours Sincerely,

APL Web site: www.apl.com